"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975) at the Golden West Drive-In in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It was awesome. Most of the jokes flew over my head but there was blood spurting from slashed off limbs and my parents didn't make out in the front seat, which was a plus. Not all of my childhood drive-in experiences were winners though. "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974), if I recall correctly, had a fairly distinct odor. And then there was "Grizzly" (1976). Apparently the success of "Jaws" the previous year inspired Hollywood to come up with a blatant rip off. You know. The park ranger (standing in for Jaws' chief of police Brody), the naturalist (anyone think of oceanographer Matt Hooper here?), and the helicopter pilot. Wait. HELICOPTER PILOT?!? Seriously? That's the best they could come up with for a woodsy version of shark hunter Quint? It was crap. But, who am I kidding? I was just happy to be out of the house on a Friday night.
The Golden West was located just west of town (which is probably why they didn't name it the Golden EAST), not far from the A&W drive-in restaurant. One of the best things about it was that there was a swing set, merry-go-round, and teeter totter right below the huge white screen. I remember when I was really little playing on those bad boys in my jammies while the sun set, right before the opening credits.
Sadly, the Golden West was shut down for a time due to a fire. I vaguely remember it having something to do with the screen. They rebuilt, but a short time later the snack bar and projection room were engulfed in flames as well. There may have been rumors of arson. Regardless, it never re-opened after fire number two. I have a vivid recollection of pedaling out to the skeletal remains of the Golden West with a couple of friends after the business-ending inferno. We kicked around in the charred remains for awhile, looking for answers. Not to what caused the fire but rather trying to come to grips with the fact that so many fond childhood memories had gone up in smoke.
A new drive-in was built a few years later on the opposite side of town. It had TWO screens, but it was never the same. I remember seeing "Fletch" and "The Breakfast Club" (both 1985) there. No clunky speakers to hang off of the driver's side window at this establishment. You now could tune in to a short wave radio signal.
Despite poor sound quality and the fact that they would start the first feature before it was really dark enough to make out a clear image on the screen, you couldn't beat the experience. It's a double feature, for one thing. And who doesn't love stumbling back from the snack bar in the dark with overpriced burgers and day old hot dogs? I'll admit to getting frustrated with the lightweights who'd decide to leave early and shine their headlights on the screen as they made their way to the exit. They'd be "booed" by a chorus of honks from other similarly annoyed patrons like myself. But, there is something nostalgic and romantic about seeing a movie (good or bad) at the drive-in.
Then, of course, there were movies that had drive-in scenes. If you couldn't go to a drive-in, you may as well watch others enjoy the experience, right?
"That Darn Cat" (1965)
"Grease" (1978)
In the July 24, 2015 issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine, an article titled "Can the Drive-In Be Saved?" appears. It cites that there were 4,063 outdoor theaters at the medium's peak in 1958. Today, in the U.S., only 348 remain.
That brings me to the demise of the Art City Drive-In in Springville, Utah. My wife and I would frequent it after we first got married. We saw "Independence Day" (1996) there as well as a few other forgettable titles. It was torn down in the early 2000s to make way for valuable trailer park space or something equally important. I remember taking my oldest daughter to the Art City to see "Tarzan" (1999) when she was about three. That was the first, and last, time I took any of my four kids to the drive-in. Until tomorrow night.
Stay tuned...
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